KNYSNA NEWS - For weeks now the Knysna-Plett Herald has received reports and complaints from residents concerned about where relief is being sent and what seems to be the inability for affected residents to receive said relief.
Where to go to donate or get relief, how to register for relief, and who is coordinating these relief efforts have been just some of the frequently asked questions.
According to spokesperson for the Knysna municipality Christopher Bezuidenhout, official receiving points around Knysna have been reduced to Woodmill Walk alone. "The goods have been centralised and all other receiving centres have been closed," said Bezuidenhout.
Affected residents, said Bezuidenhout, can collect aid at distribution centres located at the Brenton Community Hall in CR Swart Road, Brenton-on-Sea and the Vineyard Church in Bokmakierie Street, Old Place.
"Donors as well as affected residents are welcome to contact Ramona Loxton at 064-988-7604 or Lizel Smith at 079-326-5304," added Bezuidenhout.
But before you collect any relief, what process does one need to follow? Are people being registered and being placed on a database? And how is this database controlled?
"Once people requiring certain aid are informed of people offering an intervention, they confirm their status via the Municipal App. This does not eliminate the fact that there are still unregistered 'suppliers' making their offerings known to potential beneficiaries in their own stead, which is out of the municipality's control," he said.
The question most asked by residents of Knysna though is: Where are all these supplies going and are they reaching the correct people?
Bezuidenhout added that one must also consider the weather conditions on the day as some residents have suffered loss as a result of the gale force winds as well and not only the fire. "Our focus is on disaster relief. Poverty relief is dealt with as per Council approved systems," he added.
On what supplies are still needed, and how long these supplies would still be distributed, Bezuidenhout said that the focus has shifted to goods that can help families to re-establish themselves, i.e. appliances. "Water is also welcomed," he said, and at this stage he could not confirm for how long supplies would still be distributed.
ARTICLE: STEFAN GOOSEN, KNYSNA-PLETT HERALD JOURNALIST
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